Like a beer coat, but more acceptable in the Home Counties

What to take when you visit a new mum﻿

So your friend has had a baby. You’re heading over for newborn snuggles. You have the cutest baby-gro ever for the new arrival. But what do you take for mum?

Food! Food is the correct answer. But you need to take HELPFUL food. Whenever I see this discussed on parenting forums, people suggest cottage pie. Which is nice, except then your friend has a bloody great cottage pie taking up room in their fridge, which they have to eat for three days until they’re sick of it.

What your friend really wants is small portions of food they can freeze and then use to build bigger meals. Food that is simple to make, tastes nice and is nourishing.

Two dear friends have had babies this year. One is a first time mum, so it’s all new to her; the other has a two year old so needs to feed child 1 easily, as well as look after child 2. So I took a few portions of my easy microwave cheese sauce and a few portions of my hidden veg pasta sauce to them both.

The cheese sauce can be used for macaroni cheese (pour over cooked pasta, bake, serve with salad) or as a gratin sauce (pour over cooked cauliflower and broccoli, bake, serve alongside minute steak or sausages). The pasta sauce can go straight over pasta, be added to mince to make a bolognese of sorts, or spread on pizza bases.

Here are some ideas for other meal bases you could take. Marinate or part cook at home, then freeze, ready for your poor, tired new mum friend to just defrost and go.